Mauricio Pochettino to coach US men’s football team till end of 2030 World Cup

NEW YORK – Mauricio Pochettino has signed a new contract to continue coaching the United States men’s national team (USMNT) through the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

US Soccer announced the deal on the morning of Aug 3, also retaining assistants Jesus Perez, Miguel D’Agostino, Toni Jimenez, Sebastiano Pochettino and Silvia Tuya.

“Mauricio and his staff believe in the future of soccer in the United States and our new project allows us to build on progress of the USMNT and the momentum of US Soccer,” US Soccer chief executive and secretary general J.T. Batson said in a statement.

“We know we have a lot of work to do to achieve our clear ambitions, including competing to win men’s World Cups and having soccer become the most-played sport in every community. I couldn’t be more excited that Mauricio and team are committed to partnering with all of us to do the hard work to bring those ambitions to life.”

The 54-year-old Argentinian coach, who favours a high-pressing, attacking style of play, took over the US side in 2024 after parting ways with Chelsea earlier that year, and had a contract that ran through the 2026 World Cup.

He guided the US to first place in Group D at the tournament with a 2-0-1 record in group play. They went on to defeat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the round of 32, before falling to Belgium 4-1, following a huge controversy over FIFA’s decision to overturn suspended striker Folarin Balogun’s ban for a red card.

Despite failing to reach the quarter-finals, it was the first time the US earned three victories at a single World Cup.

“Working together with US Soccer over the past two years, it has become clear to us that there is tremendous potential to make the men’s national team programme even stronger,” Pochettino said in a statement.

“The passion we experienced from the fans throughout the World Cup only strengthened our belief in what is possible here. We are excited by the opportunity to bring all our experience and knowledge to even more areas of US Soccer while helping strengthen the pathways for players, coaches and teams across the federation.”

Pochettino initially was hired in September 2024 to replace Gregg Berhalter at a reported US$6 million (S$7.7 million) a year.

Bloomberg reported that Pochettino and his staff received a pay increase from their previous deal, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who did not want to speak publicly about the financials. The total cost for Pochettino’s initial two-year deal, including pay for his staff and other costs, was around US$20 million. 

US Soccer said that Pochettino’s extension is being funded in significant part by a gift from Ken Griffin, the billionaire founder of the Miami-based hedge fund Citadel, with additional support from Scott Goodwin, co-founder of credit investment firm Diameter Capital Partners, and Adam Freede, co-founder and CEO of the luxury brand portfolio MadaLuxe Group, as well as several of the federation’s commercial sponsors.

The former Argentina defender guided Southampton to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League in 2013 – the club’s highest-ever finish at the time. He went on to lead Tottenham Hotspur to a first Champions League final appearance in 2019 and in 2022 steered French side Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title.

“Mauricio has built a culture where players trust the group, trust the process and trust each other,” US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said.

“We saw the impact of that belief in the way the team grew, competed and performed on the world’s biggest stage. That culture, and the staff who helped build it, are exactly what we want to continue investing in for the men’s national team now and for the future.”

The 2030 World Cup is scheduled to be played primarily in Portugal, Spain and Morocco.

The Americans will take the field for the first time since the World Cup in September and October for friendlies against yet-to-be determined opponents. REUTERS, AFP, BLOOMBERG